The landscape tells its story
- 45km of front lines
- 50hectares of vestiges to be visited
- 100thousand bombs shelled a day
Lochnagar Crater
in La Boisselle
Here, on 1 July 1916, men were out of their starting-blocks by 7.28 am. Little did they know they were rushing to their untimely death.
Just minutes before the infantry assault, several bombs were set off to break up the German front line. They hollowed out several huge craters like the one in La Boisselle, which is 91m in diameter and 21m deep.
It is now the only remaining mine hole you can visit on the Western front.
A highly emotional ceremony is organised at 7.28 am on 1 July. The site can be visited freely the rest of the year too!
© Garry
© Samuel Crampon
©SommeTourismeThe Newfoundland Memorial
in BEAUMONT-HAMEL
This park is no doubt the most moving and admirable example of a battlefield on the front!
Inaugurated in 1925, the 30-hectare Newfoundland Memorial gives a realistic idea of a network of preserved trenches, no man’s land, and the bombs which rained down here in July 1916.
At the entrance to the site, Canadian volunteers offer to take you to the top of Caribou Mound or to the remains of Danger Tree.
Feel free to explore the little cemeteries and memorials in the park!
Tel.: +33 (0)3 22 76 70 86 - Veterans Affairs Canada
Fay
A village wiped off the map
The original village has completely disappeared. Fay has been rebuilt on a plateau, above its pre-war location.
You can still visit the ruins of the former village.
©Nicolas Bryant
©SommeTourisme
©Nicolas Bryant
The scars above
The Somme Valley
Climb the Frise belvedere to see a unique, authentic site preserved by the Picardy conservatory for natural sites.
Overlooking the Somme Valley, it gives good historical insights into the Great War.
The trenches on the French front described by Blaise Cendrars can still be seen, now with sheep grazing on them!
Near the Le Hamel memorial, we commemorate the decisive Americano-Australian victory of 4 July 1918. A German trench has been exhumed.
From this outcrop overlooking the valley, refurbished for the centenary, you can admire views of Corbie and imagine the scene of the famous Red Baron crash!
Let's talk ToArlène King
Director of the Beaumont-Hamel memorial
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Mathis BEHAEGEL - LA TORTUGAA velo sur les traces de la bataille de la Somme !
C’est accompagné de son vélo Franklin, que Mathis Behaegel, alias "La Tortuga", a emprunté la véloroute Vallée de Somme pour partir la découverte de l'est du territoire et l'histoire de la Bataille de la Somme. Au programme : Des paysages marqués par le conflit mondial, des rencontres avec des passionnés, des mémoriaux emblématiques de la destination et de la nature.
A découvrir en vidéo ET en podcast !
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